[EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this post explaining why I joined the BlogHer ad network is among the most popular I’ve ever done. I’m running an update in case you missed it the first time. A disclaimer: since this first ran, I did a short stint as a contract editor for BlogHer. — Michelle V. Rafter]
I’ve been on the BlogHer Publishing Network for several years and am frequently asked about it by writers looking for ways to make money from their blogs.
BlogHer isn’t the only blog ad network out there, but it’s a popular one, especially among women bloggers.
Being part of BlogHer’s ad network hasn’t made me a lot of money, at least not directly — but I’m in it for more than cold hard cash. In 2011, I earned $261 in click-through revenue from BlogHer ads running on WordCount. That’s more than double what it was in 2011, and almost enough to pay for my domain name registration, website hosting and web developer costs for the year. Some bloggers make more — much, much more — and some make a lot less. It all boils down to how much traffic is coming into your site, and what the revenue sharing arrangement is with the ad network you sign up with.
I also like being associated with BlogHer because it lends a measure of credibility to my blogging efforts – I must be doing something right to make it through their vetting process. Plus, it looks good to have ads running on the blog, gives it that magazine or newspaper feel.
And as I mentioned in the editor’s note above, being part of BlogHer’s network also helped bring me to their attention late last year, which resulted in me doing a two-month editing stint for them for a very nice fee.
If you’ve been thinking about joining an ad network and are considering applying to join BlogHer, here’s what to know:
1. Just because you want to join doesn’t mean you can. BlogHer publishes ads on about 3,000 blogs that cover parenting, recipes, fitness, careers, fashion, politics and more. These blogs make up the BlogHer Publishing Network, which is part of but distinct from BlogHer.com, the company’s website, which reaches 37 million mostly women readers each month. BlogHer takes applications from bloggers interested in joining the ad network and accepts new bloggers when they need them. That can take days, weeks or months. Fill out BlogHer’s online application to put yourself in the running. One very important note: you can’t join BlogHer Publishing Network if your blog is hosted by a service such as WordPress.com that doesn’t allow you to run ads.
2. BlogHer ads get prime real estate on your blog. If and when BlogHer accepts you into their ad network, you can run their ads on your blog. However, you can’t just stick them any place you’d like. When you join, you agree to abide by BlogHer policies and rules, one of them being that whatever BlogHer ad unit you place on your blog will be located “above the fold.” That means it will appear high enough on your blog’s front page that readers don’t have to scroll down to see it. There are other stipulations: that ads from other blog ad networks you may belong to don’t get higher placement, that your blog hosting service allows advertising and that you’ll stick to their editorial guidelines. One of their guidelines is that you post at least once a week – if you’ve been an infrequent blogger in the past, it might be a good idea to start posting a couple times a week on a regular basis before applying so you’re in the habit.
3. You can opt out of ads that aren’t a good fit. If you aren’t a parenting blogger, you can opt out of running ads for diapers and baby formula. BlogHer gives bloggers the choice of declining to run ads in multiple categories, including ads for diet products, political parties or the military. Vegetarian bloggers can opt out of ads showing meat or dairy products.
4. Ad rates vary, therefore so will revenue from BlogHer ads on your blog. Like many other ad networks, BlogHer charges advertisers on a rate per thousand impressions, generally referred to as CPM. Those rates range anywhere from nothing for public service announcements to upwards of CPM of $9 or $10. BlogHer takes a cut of all ads and the balance goes to the blogger as a commission. How much money you make depends on how many of your readers look at a page on your blog featuring a specific ad and how many of them click on the ad. One ad on my blog had 14,000 impressions, i.e., 14,000 separate views, but received zero revenue because it was a public service announcement. On the other hand, another ad only had 1,200 page views but I made $5.30 because the CPM was $7.50.
5. You only get a check once you reach a certain level of ad income. BlogHer pays bloggers 45 days after the close of the month, but only if their share of ad revenue for that period is $25 or more. If it’s not, the company hold funds until the accrued value reaches that amount. Bloggers issues payments as checks or deposits into your PayPal account. Once you’re in the network, you can use an online revenue reportig tools to look up ad activity on your blog and see what commission you’ve earned in a specified time period.
6. Ads aren’t the only way you can make money. If you’re part of BlogHer’s ad network, you’re offered many other money-making opportunities. The company periodically offers bloggers the chance to earn $20, $50 or $100 by reviewing a book or other product, or to enter sweepstakes drawings. The BlogHer editorial staff could ask if it’s OK to run the beginning of one of your posts on their front page, which could increase traffic to your site, which in turn can increase your ad revenue. If they choose to syndicate one of your posts, which means it runs in full on BlogHer, it’s an extra $50 in your pocket. Use this online form to submit a post for consideration for syndication.
7. It’s easy to keep track of what’s going on. The BlogHer team produces a weekly e-newsletter with updates on the network, ad campaigns and more.
8. BlogHer gives bloggers in and out of its ad network opportunities to get together in person. BlogHer’s annual conference got so popular, the company has created a series of spin off conferences on food, business and other on specialty topics. The 2012 annual conference takes place Aug. 2-4 in New York City. You can read more about it on the BlogHer ’12 conference page.
To find out more, read comments from other bloggers in the BlogHer Publishing Network.
And stay tuned next week for descriptions of 8 other blog advertising networks, including Izea, Federated Media and Living on the Cheap.
If you’re running ads on your blog through BlogHer or another ad network, what’s your experience been?
Michelle – thank you for sharing this. I was curious about the BlogHer network after seeing it on your site, and now you have explained it for me perfectly. I am intrigued and want to check it out further. Thanks!
While I haven’t used BlogHer Ads (yet–it’s something I may consider at some point, thus far, affiliate programs have been a pretty nice revenue generator for me and I don’t want to become too ad-y), I have syndicated content on BlogHer and I’ve found it to be a really great experience.
I liked that I got paid (obviously) for something I’d already written anyway, but even better, I found that a lot of people discovered my blog through the BlogHer syndication. I think there’s a culture in BlogHer of reading contributors’ blogs, so I’ve seen that people who commented on my syndicated post there have become regular commenters on my blog.
And, for what it’s worth, BlogHer was great to work with (they approached me about syndication), taking the time to explain the process, rights, etc. I’ve also heard that it’s really fun to participate in their book club, which they pay $20 for. Again, not a pile of money, but if it’s something you’re already doing anyway, it’s pretty easy cash in your pocket.
In the short time that I worked with them, I found BlogHer’s editors to be a wonderful group: convivial, helpful and very fun. That spirit is apparent throughout the BlogHer.com site and the BlogHer community in general. Sure there are a lot of parenting bloggers (I prefer that to “mommy bloggers”) but there are a lot of women, and some men, blogging about a wide range of other things too. If you write interesting posts on topics that other BlogHer bloggers aren’t writing about you’ll improve your changes of getting your posts syndicated or having your blog picked up in their ad networks.
Michelle
Great, great info, Michelle! I’m considering ways to monetize my blog — even a small amount, as you say, that will cover hosting costs. I may not have the readership that BlogHer would need, but you never know. Can’t wait to hear about the other networks in upcoming posts!
I applied for BlogHer during Blogathon last year and got accepted. But in the year I had their ads on my blog, I generated no revenue. Well, $3 – not even enough for a check. So I figured that perhaps I’m not the kind of blog to make money (although it was a hope of mine when I started). So I cancelled with them and removed the ad.
I have 2 affiliates on my blog and have yet to generate any money at all. *sigh* Oh well. I guess I’m just too small.
I’ve been thinking about applying for a while but haven’t been able to really grasp exactly what the ad network entails. Thanks for covering these important details. It seems like a great opportunity for established bloggers.
Very information and descriptive post. I signed up to the network sometime ago but have not really added my site. Was not sure how it all works and decided to put it on hold. Was thinking about it today and thought i should read more about it. This post has shed more light on how it works. Thank you for taking the time to do that.